B.S. Biola University (1981)
M.S. University of California, Los Angeles (1983)
Ph.D. University of California, Los Angeles (1988)
My research is in experimental particle physics, studying the fundamental particles and forces in the universe. I am currently studying data from the ATLAS detector using the Large Hadron Collider (LHC) at CERN laboratory near Geneva, Switzerland. The LHC is the highest energy particle collider in the world and has the potential of discovering new phenomena which may extend or supersede the standard model of particle physics. Studies indicate that answers to fundamental questions about the nature of mass, the asymmetry between matter and antimatter, the particles that make up the dark matter in the universe, and other new phenomena may be discovered at the LHC.
My current research focuses on using ATLAS data to measure properties of the Higgs Boson that was discovered in 2012. It is vital to precisely measure characteristics of the Higgs to determine if it fits exactly into the standard model or if there are deviations from predictions, which would indicate the presence of undiscovered physics. I am looking particularly at the decays of the Higgs Boson to two W particles that subsequently decay to two charged leptons and two neutrinos. This decay channel is the dominant decay of the Higgs Boson and provides both opportunities and challenges for future discoveries.
